Working Dogs Are Welcome Here

If you are travelling to Hornsea with a guide dog, hearing dog, medical alert dog or any other trained assistance dog, you will find our door open in every sense. We do not treat assistance dogs as pets, and we do not treat them as a favour we are granting you. They are part of how you travel, and they are welcome in the same rooms, at the same table and on the same terms as you are. There is never a charge for an assistance dog, and no separate back room where the dog is expected to wait while you have breakfast. Tell us when you book, and everything will be ready before you arrive.

Your Room: Floor Space, Water and Rest

A working dog needs somewhere to settle and switch off, particularly after a long drive across the Yorkshire Wolds or a train journey into Hull. When we know a dog is coming, we look at which room gives the best combination of flat floor space, easy access and quiet. Where we can, we will allocate the following:

• A ground-floor room, so there are no stairs at the end of a tiring day.
• A clear area beside the bed for a mat or blanket — roughly a metre and a half by a metre is plenty for most dogs to stretch out properly.
• Short-pile carpet or sealed flooring rather than anything deep and shaggy, which holds sand and is difficult to dry.
• A non-slip mat just inside the door for wet paws, and a hook nearby for a towel.
• Two water bowls, refreshed morning and evening — one in your room and one in the breakfast room beside your table.
• Use of the room fridge for medication, wet food or anything that needs to stay cool.

We do ask that dogs are not left alone in the room while you go out. It is not about trust; it is about the noise a dog may make when the corridor is unfamiliar, and the distress that causes to the dog and to other guests.

Walking Straight from the Door

Hornsea is generous to dogs on foot, and you will not need to put the dog in the car to find a decent walk. The seafront promenade and sea wall run level and well-surfaced along the edge of the town, which suits an older dog or one with limited mobility, and gives you a gentle mile or so with the sea on one side the whole way. For something longer, the eastern end of the Trans Pennine Trail begins here in Hornsea and follows the old railway line inland — traffic-free, firm underfoot, and easy to shorten or extend as the day allows.

Hornsea Mere, the largest freshwater lake in Yorkshire, is a short walk away, with quiet lanes and permissive paths around the edge. In spring the nesting birds mean leads on and dogs close, so it is worth planning that route for early morning or late evening. South of the promenade the sand opens out towards Mappleton, though parts of the main beach are closed to dogs between 1 May and 30 September — look for the signs at the promenade entrances rather than assuming. North towards Atwick and Skipsea the walking is wilder, but keep well back from the cliff edge, which is soft and eroding in places.

Practical Points for the Coast

The coast asks a few things of a dog that inland towns do not. Check tide times before you set out along the sand; the water comes in quickly across the flat beach and there are places where the return route narrows. In high summer, pavement and sand can become uncomfortably hot by mid-morning, so walk early or late. Standing fresh water, including the edge of the Mere, can carry blue-green algae in late summer, so carry your own water rather than letting the dog drink from still pools. Salt and sand both irritate paws, and we have an outdoor tap and hose by the side entrance for rinsing off before you come inside.

Before You Arrive: What to Tell Us

A little information in advance makes an enormous difference to how smoothly the stay runs. When you book, it helps us to know your dog's name and breed, roughly how much space they take up when lying down, whether they need a quiet corner away from the breakfast room, and whether they use a mat, a crate or a raised bed. Tell us about any medication, allergies or feeding routine, and whether you would like a plain sausage set aside at breakfast as a treat. You do not need to send proof of registration; we take your word for it, and assistance dogs are accommodated as a matter of course under the Equality Act 2010.

If Something Goes Wrong

We keep a first-aid kit suitable for minor cuts and grazes, a spare lead, and a supply of old towels. We can direct you to the nearest veterinary practice in Hornsea and to the out-of-hours service in Beverley or Hull, and we can point you to local shops for food and supplies if you have run short. If your dog becomes unwell during your stay, tell us straight away — we would far rather rearrange breakfast, move rooms or fetch something for you than have you managing alone.